Historically, bay windows have been in existance for centuries and their popularity has not decreased over the years, it may be said that this window style is even considered classic for certain forms of architecture and has been the accepted norm. The usual construction for a window of this type includes a sash that makes up the structure for holding the glazing with a number of of muntins dividing the area supporting separate panes of glass. Prior art, in this area, has failed to find a way to simplify such a window structure and has depended upon the timeless method which includes the well known sash. Further, bay windows per se conventionally include structure underneath to hold the sill in place which includes brackets and stiffeners, etc.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention, however, the following U.S. patents were considered related:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Filing Date ______________________________________ 4,807,312 Baus Feb. 28, 1989 4,663,896 Dunnick May 12, 1987 4,643,246 Kurobe et al Feb. 17, 1987 4,439,963 Feiss Apr. 3, 1984 4,103,466 Nagase Aug. 1, 1978 4,009,546 Buck, Jr. Mar. 1, 1977 3,561,176 Sitterly Feb. 9, 1971 1,451,778 Kress Apr. 17, 1923 242,059 Scott May 24, 1881 ______________________________________
Baus teaches a corner shower partition with a single curved sheet of glass attached with rollers into guide rails. A pair of door elements are used having conventional frames or sashes and the doors are arranged displaceably in the guide rails which are curved in an entrance area. The doors are curved to match the guides and the two elements are curved over an angular range of approximately 45 degrees and are also adjustable in height.
Nagase has an overhanging roof decking secured to a building header and a pair of outer vertical arms support a seat board on the sill. A frame of an exterior window assembly is attached with outer ends of the roof decking structure and with bracket members. A pair of movable sashes of the rolling type are mounted in parallel and slide from side to side to facilitate opening the window.
Buck, Jr. discloses a preassembled unitary bay window with window frames and sashes held by a unitary structure. The invention is prefabricated and handled as a unit. The preferred embodiment includes suitable aluminum entrusions for the header, jams and sill. The sill includes peripheral channels for the double hung window sash and screen. The bottom half of the window is openable.
Sitterly employs a structure having a number of window frames, including sashes, arranged side by side with adjacent edges on the inner side and a bendable connecting strip of metal or plastic attached to the edges bridging the space therebetween with each strip bent to the contour of the bay. A cover strip conceals the connecting strip, thereby providing a continuous appearing window divider.
Kress simply teaches, among other things, a curved glass window supported between vertical uprights.
Scott provides a rail car window which fits into the opening for an ordinary window with the usual glazed lower sash dispensed with and replaced with a slatted sash, ordinarily employed for the exclusion of sunlight. The device is arranged to slide down over the window opening in a usual manner.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention relates, reference may be made to the remaining cited patents issued to Kurobe et al, Feiss and Dunnick.